09 October 2009

WATCH: Obama on Nobel Peace Prize: "A Call to Action"

President Obama says he is "surprised and humbled" by his win of the Nobel Peace Prize, on honor which came less than nine months in office.

Moments ago in the Rose Garden, the President remarked that he did not believe he "deserve[d] to be in the company of so many of
the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize."

Obama added: " I know that throughout history the Nobel Peace
Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also
been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action, a call
for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century."

The President outlined his goals such as an end to nuclear proliferation, confronting the threat of climate change and respecting human diversity.

After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, "Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday."

And then Sasha added, "Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up."

So it's -- it's good to have kids to keep things in perspective.

I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee.

Let
me be clear, I do not view it as a recognition of my own
accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on
behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.

OBAMA: To be
honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of
the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize, men and
women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their
courageous pursuit of peace.

But I also know that this prize
reflects the kind of world that those men and women and all Americans
want to build, a world that gives life to the promise of our founding
documents.

And I know that throughout history the Nobel Peace
Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also
been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes.

OBAMA:
And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action, a call
for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.

Now,
these challenges can't be met by any one leader or any one nation. And
that's why my administration's worked to establish a new era of
engagement in which all nations must take responsibility for the world
we seek.

We cannot tolerate a world in which nuclear weapons
spread to more nations and in which the terror of a nuclear holocaust
endangers more people.

And that's why we've begun to take
concrete steps to pursue a world without nuclear weapons: because all
nations have the right to pursue peaceful nuclear power, but all
nations have the responsibility to demonstrate their peaceful
intentions.

We cannot accept the growing threat posed by climate
change, which could forever damage the world that we pass on to our
children, sowing conflict and famine, destroying coastlines and
emptying cities.

OBAMA: And that's why all nations must now accept their share of responsibility for transforming the way that we use energy. We
can't allow the differences between peoples to define the way that we
see one another. And that's why we must pursue a new beginning among
people of different faiths and races and religions, one based upon
mutual interest and mutual respect.

And we must all do our part
to resolve those conflicts that have caused so much pain and hardship
over so many years. And that effort must include an unwavering
commitment to finally realize that -- the rights of all Israelis and
Palestinians to live in peace and security in nations of their own.

We
can't accept a world in which more people are denied opportunity and
dignity that all people yearn for: the ability to get an education and
make a decent living, the security that you won't have to live in fear
of disease or violence without hope for the future.

OBAMA: And
even as we strive to seek a world in which conflicts are resolved
peacefully and prosperity is widely shared, we have to confront the
world as we know it today.

I am the commander in chief of a
country that's responsible for ending a war and working in another
theater to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the
American people and our allies. I'm also aware that we are dealing with
the impact of a global economic crisis that has left millions of
Americans looking for work.

These are concerns that I confront every day on behalf of the American people.

Some
of the work confronting us will not be completed during my presidency.
Some, like the elimination of nuclear weapons, may not be completed in
my lifetime.

But I know these challenges can be met, so long as it's recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone.

This award is not simply about the efforts of my administration; it's about the courageous efforts of people around the world.

OBAMA:
And that's why this award must be shared with everyone who strives for
justice and dignity; for the young woman who marches silently in the
streets on behalf of her right to be heard, even in the face of
beatings and bullets; for the leader imprisoned in her own home because
she refuses to abandon her commitment to democracy; for the soldier who
sacrificed through tour after tour of duty on behalf of someone half a
world away; and for all those men and women across the world who
sacrifice their safety and their freedom and sometime their lives for
the cause of peace.

That has always been the cause of America.
That's why the world has always looked to America. And that's why I
believe America will continue to lead.

Hopefully, this will help push a few policies. The republicans and others are dogging on him like "white on rice", because none of them can believe this Black man got this after 9 months. Hahahahahaahhahaaa!!!! I live it!!!!

Congratulations to President Obama. It was an award that he neither sought after nor campaigned for. I have no reason to criticize him for getting this award. And I'm glad that the DNC has taken off the gloves in their response to the Republican vitriol they are spewing out over this award. The DNC has said that the Repubs have consistently rooted against America in the past few weeks. They have also pointed out that the GOP has thrown in their towel with the Taliban and Hamas. I certainly hope they keep up this aggressive effort against the GOP. Patriotism is not something you turn on and off like a water spigot. But I do enjoy watching the Repubs' heads explode.

The awarding of the Nobel Prize to an American President should be a time of great pride and celebration for all citizens. The vitriolic and poisonous response from conservative media personalities is a sign of the sad state of partisanship that dogs our Country.

Gone are conservative calls for 'patriotism' and 'Country first.' In its place is a phony patriotism - existing only for conservative Presidents. An appalling example of this ultra-partisan rancor was Rush Limbaugh actually remarking that he agrees with the Taliban and Iran. He laughed at the 'irony' of this.

In their eagerness to attack and demean the U.S. President, Limbaugh and Hannity have become nearly indistinguishable from America's enemies. These are people who once equated questioning the President in time of war to being a traitor. The hypocrisy is either lost on - or very deftly hidden by - these men.

These same folks recently displayed unequivocal joy at America's loss of the 2012 Olympics. Their myopic partisanship places the United States interests second to that of the Republican party (if not third, behind their own careers).

It is one thing to campaign and vote for the opposition party - it is something else again to root against the interests of the United States.

What might be next? Will Rush Limbaugh play the fiddle as nuclear missiles strike Israel? Will Sean Hannity's eyes sparkle with glee at burgeoning unemployment rates?

It is time for a some so-called patriots to do a little old fashioned soul searching.